[ 專訪 ] 在他鄉延展島嶼感知：旅法藝術家沈榮，用水墨描繪風景與時間之間的柔軟凝視
藝術家沈榮 Jung Shen (Photo Credit: Jung Shen)
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In the northwest of France, morning mist rises through the valley, and light moves across cliffs and fields. This is the landscape that artist Jung Shen encounters on his daily walks. He lives in La Roche-Guyon, a quiet village near Paris often named one of the most beautiful in France. Far from the city’s rhythm, it offers a deep connection to nature.
Most mornings, Shen leaves his studio and walks along the Seine, letting his breath and steps gradually settle into the valley’s light and air. Sometimes to observe, other times simply to quiet his thoughts.
“Nature has become the subject I return to most,” he says. These everyday impressions continue to shape his work. The feeling of mist on the skin, subtle changes in emotion, and the layered outline of hills all leave a silent imprint in his mind. Through ink washes, overlapping paper, and the faint shadows of pressed flowers, these moments resurface as quiet, near-abstract forms.
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His brushwork is both light and deep, allowing his awareness to drift with the changes of nature and the passage of time, slowly extending across the fibers of paper or fabric. There is no defined beginning, nor any set end. He simply follows the textures, the moisture, the pressure of his hand, and from there, a quiet threshold of contemplation begins to take form.
La Seine ombrée 02 (Photo Credit: Jung Shen)
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Jung Shen’s path weaves through design, craft, and art. Looking back at the origins of his creative journey, he recalls growing up in a home immersed in culture and the arts. His mother was a fashion designer, and from an early age, he was encouraged to explore freely. As a child, he studied oil painting and calligraphy, and also learned to play the piano. Later, he entered a fine arts and crafts program, where he was introduced to a range of techniques and design disciplines.
What may seem like a scattered path has in fact formed a continuous thread in his inner sensibility. These experiences shaped his curiosity and sensitivity toward materials and aesthetics.
He sees each shift in practice as a way of giving form to a different chapter of life. Each comes with its own structure and expression, yet they remain connected in spirit.
法國 Senlis 春季藝術沙龍展覽 Printemps des arts (Photo Credit: Jung Shen)
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Jung Shen moved to France in 2017, initially to pursue a master’s degree in fashion management. He went on to work in the fashion industry for over a decade, drawn to the local culture’s openness to personal passion and freedom from rigid expectations. Eventually, he stepped away from his career and gave himself a year to focus on painting.
"That pause was a rare chance to breathe and reconnect with myself," he says. "France became a source of creative nourishment and gave me the clarity to embrace life as a full-time artist."
He began painting more seriously and sharing his work at local creative markets. The response was unexpectedly warm, and through those encounters, he discovered a deep joy in the act of painting. That moment marked a quiet shift—one that led him fully into the life of an ink artist.
At heart, his journey has always been about giving shape to inner feeling and finding ways to share it with the world.
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Shen’s use of ink draws from memory and instinct.
He first encountered the medium through childhood calligraphy and brief lessons in traditional Chinese painting. While living in France, returning to this Eastern form felt unexpected but intuitive.
"I started creating art outside of both Taiwan and the East, so using ink surprised me at first," he says. "But as I painted the Seine and nearby landscapes, the fluid, organic nature of ink felt closely aligned with how I experience the natural world. Its abstract contours and spontaneous flow gave me a sense of freedom that continues to guide my work."
Photo Credit: Jung Shen
séries défilement artworks (Photo Credit: Jung Shen)
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Shen describes his fascination with ink as rooted in its unpredictability—the way water and pigment merge, spread, and settle on the surface. It is a process he approaches with both surrender and reverence, aware that no mark can be exactly repeated.
This sensibility has also drawn him closer to the spirit of Impressionism. "There’s often a sense of déjà vu when I work with ink," he says. "Impressionist painters captured shifting light and passing moments with freedom and emotion. That way of seeing feels deeply connected to how I create now."
Beyond spontaneous landscapes, Shen also deepens his exploration of ink through series-based works. In Ink wash words, he reflects on the distance and overlap between Eastern and Western cultures, translating written language into abstract forms and atmospheres. The series exists between text and image, offering a visual expression that seeks to redefine what ink can be.
「墨嶼自然」個展 @文域生活 Taipei Solo Show 2025 ( Photo credit：美學聚落 )
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As art became his main work, Shen found both moments of joy and times of unease. Each stroke is a dialogue with himself, often caught between release and pressure, aware that the image he hopes to express may fall short.
"But what does failure really mean?" he asks.
Over time, he has learned to set aside those doubts. "Imperfection is perfection" has become a guiding belief in both his art and his outlook. His works resemble exercises in living, reminding him that creation is a process of continual learning from within. Even pieces left unfinished or set aside can be revisited later, merging with new ideas to form another kind of beauty.
Photo Credit: Jung Shen
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As an Eastern artist working abroad, Jung Shen is acutely aware of the differences in language, thought, and artistic context. Yet he does not see these as obstacles but as sources of nourishment. He blends the island culture and perspective of Taiwan with the artistic discourse he encounters in France. "It may sound familiar, but the meeting of Eastern contemplation and Western emotion allows me to express my own perspective with honesty," he says.
He adds, "Do not treat yourself as a foreigner, and everything will feel natural." For Shen, the chance to exchange ideas with people from different backgrounds is vital, since no one can predict the surprises such encounters may bring. This openness to culture and multiplicity of viewpoints has become an essential source of authenticity and strength in his work.
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Q：Your works often feel like they are capturing fragments of memory or moments of stillness. Looking back at your series, how do you see the shifts between past and present?
Jung Shen:
Most of the time, I aim to capture the beauty of a landscape in a specific moment. Yet time never stands still. Even if the brush tries to hold onto that instant, or the camera seeks to preserve a scene, time keeps moving forward.What truly becomes calm is the heart and the mind. The traces they leave are both reminders and sources of inspiration. I hold on to this philosophy in every piece I create. Style, subject, or mood does not need to be precisely defined, as they emerge naturally. Shifts in my practice and the use of new mediums should remain open and unforced. Often, a series begins this way, unexpected yet organic.
Lavis au passé composé (Ink wash in the composed past) grew out of this spirit. By tearing, collaging, and mounting fragments of older ink paintings with new pieces of paper, I sought to honor both time and imperfection, allowing landscapes to move beyond the limits of chronology.
「山水之間」系列作品 Lavis au passé composé (Photo Credit: Jung Shen)
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Q：How does your new series Woven landscape differ from your earlier work, and what are you hoping to convey?
Jung Shen:
Woven landscape combines ink on paper with fabric and thread to reinterpret landscape. Folds resemble ink washes, edges trace the diffusion of pigment, textures are drawn out and tones are layered. The way ink seeps into fabric also recalls my earlier background in fashion.Through this approach, I discovered another form of grounding in my practice. The process can feel like unraveling threads, asking me to slow down and fully inhabit the present. Visually, the overlapping materials create depth and transparency, echoing the layered distances in traditional landscape painting.
Q：How do you view the idea of the “present moment” in creation?
Jung Shen:
For me, creation is an ongoing state. It carries anticipation of the unknown, moments of worry, and times when I test my own ideas. In some ways, the moment of creation is often structured, which reflects my personality. I tend to work with order and planning. This regularity has simply become a habit for me, and I do not see it as inherently good or bad.
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Q：When you create, do you think about how viewers will interpret your work?
Jung Shen:
Art is always subjective. Each person finds their own point of memory or focus within a piece. A work resonates precisely because it awakens these feelings. The space for imagination is what makes art compelling, and too much explanation can sometimes take away the charm of that ambiguity.What I hope for most is to create a moment of contemplation for the viewer. In that stillness they might sense movement, and within movement we are reminded of our longing for calm.
Q：We live in an era where social media spreads work instantly and widely. How do you see this environment for creation?
Jung Shen:
Sharing the process, inspiration, and the work itself can be a source of motivation, making the journey feel more real and joyful. It is true that much of contemporary art is driven by marketing, yet in the age of social media, content creation can sometimes lose sight of its essence.This is why I find it important to disconnect at times. It is not only about giving myself space, but also a reminder not to create for the sake of producing. It helps me stay focused on the essence of each work. I also value physical encounters, as face-to-face interactions often bring deeper and more lasting connections.
「 Impression d'île」個展（島嶼印象）@Espace Beaujon 巴黎八區市政聽藝文中心 (Photo Credit: Jung Shen)
lac alqueva II (Photo Credit: Jung Shen)
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Between creation and daily life, between time and place, Jung Shen continues to find his footing and lets his work become a voice to the world. From nature to ink, from the perspective of an island to the routines of Europe, he speaks with quiet determination and invites viewers to enter the flow of brush and ink, sensing subtle echoes within.
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This autumn and winter, Shen will share the outcome of his artistic journey through three solo exhibitions. Opening in October at the Museum of World Religions in Taipei, L’intervalle presents a selection of works including his latest series, inviting viewers not only to see landscapes but to encounter, in stillness, a connection with nature and the world.
Further exhibitions will follow in Luxembourg from October 24 to November 8, and in Paris from November 12 to December 20, extending his dialogue across cultures and geographies. For more details, visit his website or Instagram.
Photo Credit: Jung Shen